Credit Hire Organisation Conference 2018

We recently attended the CHO conference held at the Heart of England Conference Centre, Coventry.

With a multitude of changes in the industry both threats and positive outcome the CHO conference was heavily based upon collaboration and innovative use of technology. Filled with informative talks from the likes of Audatex, Industry Insights, Volvo, CAPS and National Body Repair Association its clear that the industry is under so many threats and changes.

Volvo provided an enlightening insight for those that have not yet heard of the fast-paced technology ever evolving on the road. With a heavy interest of safety and a keen interest in sharing technology for the significant gain of the industry it truly is remarkable on how far the industry of vehicle manufacturers have come and indeed, how far they are likely to grow in the very near future.

With an advancement of significant technology whether its ADAS systems, vehicle structure and safety components Chris Weeks gave an eye opening insight into the costs of maintaining such a professional bodyshop and the potential investment needed in order to achieve a high standard to work and safely repair modern day vehicles that are already prominent on todays roads. Are we going to see more bodyshops struggling to reach the exacting high standards of manufacturers and undertake the investment to keep up with the industry? Its yet to be seen but great to see so many bodyshops proud of the work they do and keep up with the ever evolving demands of the industry.

With so many advances in technology AXA Insurance gave an insight into whether you will soon be able to completely automate the claims experience with use of Bots and advanced ENOL (Electronic Claims Notification) a debate sparked on whether this could or more importantly should be achieved. At the time of a very unfortunate event of being involved in an accident does a consumer really want to an automated system to handle an already stressful experience?

As the day drew to a close its apparent that technology has changed and will continue to change. We’re only at the beginning of a new revolution of technology and we’ve only scratched the surface. As an industry we need to work collaboratively, effectively and utilise technology in the best way not only to streamline our own processes and approach but to utilise Technology to enhance the customer journey.